Armed Forces: Sea King

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What consideration they are giving to the future replacement of the Royal Navy airborne early warning aircraft, the Sea King Mk2.

Lord Drayson: The Sea King airborne early warning (AEW) Mk2 aircraft has already been replaced by the upgraded Sea King airborne surveillance and control Mk7 aircraft. The department is now considering how to sustain the capability provided by the Mk7 under the maritime surveillance and control project.

Aviation: Military Air Radar Service

Lord Rotherwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What will be the effect on the Lower Airspace Radar Service or any other radar service offered to general aviation by the Ministry of Defence as the result of the contract for the Future Military Air Radar Service signed this year between the Ministry of Defence and the National Air Traffic Services (En Route).

Lord Drayson: None. The Lower Airspace Radar Service (below 10,000 feet) is a localised service provided by a mix of civilian and military air traffic control, who are based at airfields across the UK. The Future Military Radar Service relates to en-route air traffic control (above 10,000 feet).

Education: Northern Ireland Post-primary Provision

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many responses they have received to the consultation processes in Northern Ireland on (a) the reform of public administration; and (b) the Costello report on the reform of post-primary education.

Lord Rooker: The review of public administration consultation process attracted 1,206 responses.
	The report Future Post-Primary Arrangements in Northern Ireland—Advice from the Post-Primary Review Working Group, widely known as the Costello report, was not published for consultation. The working group's remit was:
	"To take account of the responses to the consultation on the Burns Report, including the diversity of views on academic selection, and provide advice on options for future arrangements for post-primary education".
	In view of the advisory nature of its remit, its report was not published for consultation.

EU: Qualified Majority Voting

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which policy areas are subject to qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers; and for which areas the United Kingdom retains the veto.

Lord Triesman: In respect of the policy areas subject to qualified majority voting (QMV) in the Council of Ministers, I refer the noble Lord to the Answers provided for him by my noble friend the then Foreign and Commonwealth Minister, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, on 17 June 2003 (Official Report, col. WA 90) and 4 July 2003 (Official Report, cols. WA 144–48) respectively. I should also draw attention to the fact that the principal policy areas subject to QMV before the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973 were the budget, the common commercial policy for goods, and the implementation of the common agricultural policy. These policy areas continue to be subject to QMV. In addition, since my noble friend Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean provided Answers to the noble Lord in 2003, a number of visa, asylum and immigration measures have, as provided for by the Treaty of Amsterdam, moved to QMV.
	In respect of the policy areas for which the United Kingdom retains the veto, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer provided for him by the noble Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 8 March 2001 (Official Report, cols. WA 36–39). Since that Answer, Article 63((3)(a) and (4)) has, as provided for by the Treaty of Amsterdam, replaced Article 67 as being subject to unanimity. Article 63 covers certain actions under Title IV of the Consolidated Treaty establishing the European Community: visas, asylum, immigration and other policies relating to the free movements of persons.

Immigration: Northern Ireland

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many immigrant workers are registered employed in Northern Ireland; what is the estimate of illegal immigrants working there; and how many people have been convicted of exploiting those workers during each year since 2001.

Lord Rooker: The Home Office holds data on immigrant workers on a United Kingdom basis, thus separate figures for Northern Ireland are not available. In 2005, the Home Office published a report which included an estimate of the size of the illegal migrant population in the UK in 2001. A copy of the Home Office RDS report Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001 can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr2905.pdf. As there is freedom of movement within the UK, it is not possible to break this down further.
	No prosecutions have been pursued to date in Northern Ireland under the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004.

Iraq: Abuse Allegations

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the investigation into recent alleged abuse of Iraqi young men in Basra will include investigation into those men, particularly officers, who walked past the alleged incident without intervening.

Lord Drayson: A Royal Military Police (RMP) investigation into these very serious allegations is currently underway. It will seek to identify all those involved and any failings that have occurred. However, the RMP are operationally independent and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further.

NHS: Nurse Directors

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether steps will be taken to bring the pay of nurse directors into line with other National Health Service trust board directors.

Lord Warner: A new pay framework is in development for very senior managers, including directors, and will be published in due course.

NHS: Overspends

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many of the 12 modern matron posts at the Peterborough and Stamford National Health Service Foundation Trust have been or may be deleted as a consequence of the trust's overspend.

Lord Warner: This is a matter for the chair of the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I have written to Clive Morton informing him of your inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library. I am informed by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name for which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) that the trust has made good progress during 2005–06 in addressing the financial deficit which it incurred in 2004–05.

Northern Ireland: Festivals

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 25 January (col. WA 183) concerning festivals in Northern Ireland, how they ensured that the business case used for the 2005 Ardoyne Festival applied to the year in question.

Lord Rooker: On receipt and subsequent scrutiny of the Ardoyne Fleadh 2005 business case, the department identified deficiencies and requested additional business information. This information was provided to the department's satisfaction.

Planning: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many planning applications have been received by the Northern Ireland Planning Service since 2000 in areas administered by (a) Larne Borough Council; (b) Carrickfergus Borough Council; (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council; and (d) Belfast City Council.

Lord Rooker: Details of the number of residential and non-residential planning applications received by the Planning Service for each year since 2000 in (a) Carrickfergus Borough Council area, (b) Larne Borough Council area, (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council, and (d) Belfast City Council area are provided in the table below.
	
		Number of Planning applications* received between2000 and 2005
		
			 District 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
			 Carrickfergus 282 297 317 331 309 315 
			 Lame 361 350 374 397 462 427 
			 Newtownabbey 602 603 671 691 716 677 
			 Belfast 2,372 2,590 2,365 2,570 2,658 2,460 
		
	
	* Some of these will be duplicate application and some will be withdrawn prior to decision.

Planning: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many new residential developments have been given planning permission by the Northern Ireland Planning Service, for each year since 1996, in (a) Larne Borough Council area; (b) Carrickfergus Borough Council area; and (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council area.

Lord Rooker: Details of the number of residential developments granted planning permission since 1996 in the (a) Carrickfergus Borough Council area, (b) Larne Borough Council area, and (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council area are provided in the table below. In addition, decisions are issued for non-residential developments.
	
		Residential developments granted planning permission between 1996 and 2005
		
			 District 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
			 Carrickfergus 33 39 25 29 35 28 38 23 30 26 
			 Larne 26 22 27 32 20 20 20 33 31 56 
			 Newtownabbey 52 52 59 73 47 50 70 77 78 52

Railways: Heritage Sector

Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to address the concerns of the heritage railway sector about provisions contained in the draft Railway and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Her Majesty's Government met representatives of the Heritage Railways Association on 1 March to hear their concerns about the draft Railway and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations which have been proposed by the Health and Safety Commission. The Government are still considering how best to address the concerns of heritage railways.

Railways: Network Rail

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there is any restriction on increasing Network Rail's regulatory asset base if the funding does not come from third parties in the private sector.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) set out the criteria that need to be met before investment expenditure in these circumstances might be added to Network Rail's regulatory asset base in the document Policy framework for investments: conclusions, published in October 2005. This is available on the ORR website at www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/255.pdf.
	I understand that the ORR will shortly be publishing detailed guidance to support this policy framework document.

Religious Hatred: Cartoons

Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether steps have been taken within European Union (EU) institutions to give advice to EU citizens who may become involved in anti-European demonstrations in Muslim countries.

Lord Triesman: No steps have been taken within European Union institutions to give advice to EU citizens who may become involved in anti-European demonstrations in Muslim countries. It is for EU member states to issue advice to their own nationals. The UK has advised its citizens to avoid large crowds and public gatherings in those countries where there have been demonstrations following the publication of cartoons of key figures of the Islamic faith.

Ritalin

Baroness Greenfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people in the United Kingdom have been prescribed Ritalin for longer than (a) two years; (b) five years; and (c) 10 years.

Lord Warner: Information is not available in the form requested. The Department of Health does not hold data on the number of people who receive medication. However 359,100 prescription items of methylphenidate hydrochloride were dispensed in the community in England in 2004. Ritalin is one brand of the drug methylphenidate, and accounted for 19 per cent of the total number of methylphenidate items.

Ritalin

Baroness Greenfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people in the United Kingdom who have been prescribed Ritalin have subsequently been treated for depression.

Lord Warner: The information requested is not available centrally.

Schools: Classroom Assistants

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many classroom assistants are employed by education and library boards in Northern Ireland in (a) controlled schools; (b) Catholic maintained schools; (c) non-Catholic maintained schools; and how many are employed by voluntary grammar schools and by integrated schools.

Lord Rooker: The information requested is not fully available in the format requested. Details of the numbers of classroom assistants employed by the education and library boards in primary schools, secondary schools and special schools, and by the boards of governors in voluntary grammar schools and in grant-maintained integrated schools are set out in the attached annexe.
	
		Numbers of Classroom Assistants (provided by employers January 2006)
		
			 Employer/School Type Numbers 
			 BELB  
			 Primary 456 
			 Secondary 73 
			 Special 278 
			 NEELB  
			 Primary 1,011 
			 Secondary 188 
			 Special 277 
			 SELB  
			 Primary 1,249 
			 Secondary 267 
			 Special 132 
			 SEELB  
			 Primary 931 
			 Secondary 171 
			 Special 260 
			 WELB  
			 Primary 954 
			 Secondary 227 
			 Special 146 
			 Grant Maintained Integrated  
			 Primary 195 
			 Secondary 173 
			 Voluntary Grammar 156 
			 Total 7,144

Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland plans to lead an overseas trade delegation which includes members from the Republic of Ireland, as announced by him on 9 February; and
	Whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland proposes to participate in trade negotiations relating to an area for which the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland has responsibility, as announced by him on 9 February; and
	Whether they have made an assessment of the possible impact on Northern Ireland's investment incentives of the proposal for mixed overseas trade delegations in circumstances where there is competition from the Republic of Ireland.

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State plans to lead a trade mission organised by Invest Northern Ireland to India during the Easter Recess. The purpose of the mission is to support the objectives of Invest NI and its clients, who are actively targeting India for new investment and trade opportunities. Both Queen's University and the University of Ulster will also be involved, in order to further their interests in developing research and collaboration linkages with the Indian Institutes of Technology. Additionally, the visit will support the work of Tourism Ireland, which is promoting the island of Ireland to Indian tourists.
	My right honourable friend has invited the Irish Government to nominate companies from the republic to accompany the mission, reciprocating the participation of a Northern Ireland delegation in the Taoiseach's visit to India in January 2006.
	India is the world's second fastest growing major economy and an emerging global economic force. The economic threats and opportunities which India in particular and Asia more generally presents are common to both parts of Ireland. My right honourable friend has no plans to negotiate with anyone outside of his area of responsibility nor do we consider that this type of visit has any detrimental effect on Northern Ireland as an investment location. On the contrary, co-operating together to assess the threats and to maximise the opportunities can bring mutual advantages north and south.

Vehicles: Biofuels

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether as part of Our Energy Challenge they have considered setting a target for the number of cars running on biofuels and hybrid technologies; and
	How many forecourts offer for sale bioethanol fuel for use in private motor vehicles; and
	What action they propose to take to increase the number of forecourts selling bioethanol fuel.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government announced in November 2005 that a renewable transport fuels obligation (RTFO) will be introduced from 1 April 2008. The RTFO will require all suppliers of transport fuels in the UK to ensure that 5 per cent of their total fuel sales come from renewable sources by 2010 in order to help meet our climate change objectives. In practice, this is likely to mean that by 2010 the vast majority of UK forecourts will be selling standard fuel blended with biofuel, with most private and commercial vehicles also running on blends that include biodiesel or bioethanol.
	The Department for Transport provides limited grant funding towards the installation of alternative refuelling and recharging infrastructure. The RTFO should ensure that refuelling facilities for alternative fuels will be available in large scale across the UK by 2010.
	I understand that bioethanol is already being sold in blends of up to 5 per cent at around 150 outlets in the south-east and north-west of England, but as retailers are not generally distinguishing the fuel as renewable we do not have precise numbers. Information on sites selling other renewable fuels is available on a regional basis from http://www.est.org.uk/fleet/calculators/refuelling/index.cfm?mode=results.
	The Government have also put in place a number of incentives to encourage the uptake of clean and fuel-efficient vehicles. These include fiscal incentives such as the company car tax and vehicle excise duty systems, which are both structured to reward those who purchase the most fuel-efficient, low CO2 vehicles. These incentives are deliberately technology-neutral and we are not setting specific targets for any particular technology such as for hybrid vehicles. The Government's Powering Future Vehicles strategy, published in July 2002, sets a target that by 2012 cars with a fuel efficiency of 100 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre or better will make up at least 10 per cent of new car sales.